Automotive vehicles include bumpers at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, so as to deal with any possible impact applied thereto (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-271734).
FIG. 5 hereof shows an impact absorbing structure disclosed in the 2005-271734 publication. The disclosed impact absorbing structure 201, which is a front bumper, includes front bumper reinforcing members 202 and 203 and crash box 204 that have an upper flange portion 205 and upper edge portion 206, respectively. Thus, the impact absorbing structure 201 has a large height from the ground surface.
Although the disclosed impact absorbing structure 201 can effectively absorb an impact by means of the upper flange portion 205 and upper edge portion 206 as well as the front bumper reinforcing members 202 and 203, it would undesirably have an increased weight due to the provision of the upper flange portion 205 and upper edge portion 206. Further, whereas the provision of the upper flange portion 205 and upper edge portion 206 can enlarge the shock absorbing range upwardly, the disclosed impact absorbing structure 201 can not achieve desired impact absorption.